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Cafe Manager

Food Service

You run the whole cafe now — hiring, firing, inventory, scheduling, and making sure the health inspector doesn't find anything alarming. You're equal parts barista, accountant, and therapist for a staff of twenty-somethings who all need next Friday off. The free coffee is nice, but the P&L spreadsheet keeps you up at night.

Salary Range

Low

$38k

Median

$48k

High

$60k

10-Year Growth

5%

US Workers

60K

Education

No formal education required (business or hospitality degree helps)

Environment

indoor

Tools & Technical Skills

  • P&L statement analysis
  • Staff scheduling & labor cost management
  • Inventory management & vendor ordering
  • POS systems & sales reporting
  • Health code & food safety compliance
  • Hiring & onboarding processes
  • Marketing & social media basics

People & Mindset Skills

  • Leadership
  • Decision-making
  • Communication
  • Customer service
  • Stress tolerance
  • Multitasking
  • Problem-solving

Learn the skills

Courses and certifications to get you job-ready

Inventory management & vendor ordering

Health code & food safety compliance

Marketing & social media basics

What you'll actually do

  • 01Build the weekly schedule that will please absolutely no one
  • 02Review daily sales numbers and figure out why Tuesdays are always dead
  • 03Order inventory and negotiate with vendors who keep raising prices
  • 04Interview and hire baristas who will hopefully last longer than two months
  • 05Handle the health inspection with a confidence you do not feel
  • 06Manage labor costs while your district manager reminds you to 'do more with less'
  • 07Close the store and realize you've been there for 11 hours again